[Factorz]

Well I’m happy to say that I have joined the Vapor family with a pair of Cirrus Blacks that I purchased here on AC. The goal of this post is to talk about my overall experience dealing with Ryan and his company and less about an official review of the speakers.

The Speakers

The first words that came to mind when I saw them was “quality craftsmanship”. They were much larger then I imagined and the veneer is just amazing. When I first brought them in the house my wife couldn’t get over their look and said they were like a fine piece of furniture. Outside of their amazing looks they are solid! I believe Ryan told me they weigh about 50lbs each and having carried them down from his room at Axpona I believe it. The stands are quality as well and very sturdy. Overall a world class build.

The Sound

I'm not much with words which makes me really appreciate some of the really well written reviews on this site. These speakers make me wish I was a better writer so I could really articulate how amazing they sound. It was like the first time I saw HD after watching standard definition as everything was just so clearer.  I hope I’m not doing a disservice to these speakers and Ryan’s work by not spending a bunch of time on how these sound. Simply put these allow me to have a stronger emotional connection to the music.

Ryan’s Customer Service

As someone who makes their living in sales I believe in great customer service and often scratch my head when I deal with a company that doesn’t have it as a priority. Just like the speakers this is another area that Ryan simply knocked it out of the park. Taking a step back I originally learned about Vapor from this site and was really impressed with what I was reading and reached out to Ryan asking if anyone local might have purchase a pair of his speakers. His response was prompt that he had just sent out a pair of Nimbus very close to me and offered to make the introduction. Ryan was very clear that while the Nimbus was not in the budget I discussed it would still give me a good understanding of his speakers sound. Introductions were made and I was able to spend an evening listening to some outstanding speakers.
Fast forward a few weeks later while browsing on Audiogon I see a pair of Cirrus speakers for a very attractive price and email Ryan his thoughts. Again his response was quick and he said the price was crazy good and I should try to get them if I can. He even said that he would be attending a show near the seller and would be willing to pick them up if it would help on shipping cost. Well the deal didn’t work out but the fact that Ryan was going to go above and beyond on a sale he would get no credit for really stuck with me.

Shortly after I saw the pair that were listed here and again asked Ryan his thoughts. He gave me a quick background on the speakers and again offered that if I wanted to have them sent to him to give a quick once over he would do it. He then said he would be willing to bring them to Axpona knowing I was attending and said I could pick them up there. As you can imagine at this point I am floored by the customer service and pulled the trigger.

A few weeks after Ryan confirmed the speakers made it safe to his shop I dropped him a line just to see how things were progressing and to work out the details on meeting at the show. It’s at this point that Ryan tells me he really thinks the speakers would look better with a coat of gloss and if time allows would I be ok if he went ahead. Seriously!!! This guy has gone way above and beyond and now he is wants to make my speakers look even better at no charge!! At this point I started to feel a little guilty and told him he didn’t have to do that, and he simply said he knew that but wanted to.

Overall I can’t say enough about the speakers and the way that Ryan has treated me and consider myself a customer for life. For those of you that were able to attend Axpona my speakers were sitting in the room as you first came in.  I told Ryan I wanted him to display them if he could in hopes they would lead to another sale. On Sunday the day of the pickup I was able to take Ryan out for lunch as a small token of my appreciation and really enjoyed his thoughts on speakers building and the industry. I think of all the different products I buy and how rare it is to be able to sit across the table from its creator. Ryan helped me carry them down from the room and was literally buffering them in the back of his van before I loaded them up. As someone who is rather new to the world of stereo I consider myself luckily that I was able to have such a great experience and would recommend Ryan and his company to anyone looking to make a purchase.


Sorry the pictures really don't do the speakers justice

[jimdgoulding]

Congrats.  Bet they do it all very well.

[mresseguie]

Well, whaddya know?

I was in the after hours session on Saturday. Soon after I broke out the uh...beverage....I asked if the Cirrus speakers could be hooked up, which they promptly were. They really kicked thunder especially considering the amp had a 'mere' 18 watts/ch.

What I really could not get over, and still can't when I see your pics, is how much bigger they are than they appear in photos. These are not petite speakers.

Congratulations, Factorz!

[standub]

Congrats and well to the club

[Factorz]

Yeah Ryan had mentioned the after hour session and I would have loved to be there since my electronics fall quite short to the rig they had in place. Size wise I couldn't agree more and was a little blown away when I first saw them.

[PMAT]

How did Ryan sound? Good center image? Tight bottom end or perhaps just a little thin on top?  Just kidding! That was a great review of customer service. It makes me want to do business with him/vapor. Congrats. I bet they sound wonderful and what a great reception from the wife!

[newzooreview]

Yeah Ryan had mentioned the after hour session and I would have loved to be there since my electronics fall quite short to the rig they had in place. Size wise I couldn't agree more and was a little blown away when I first saw them.

Hi, Factorz,

I am glad they finally made it to you, and I thank Ryan for helping so much with the sale. It's good to hear they found an appreciative home. Ryan was very happy with this pair when he first put them together for me.

[Gopher]

We listened to your speakers after hours at AXPONA on Saturday and they really blew me away... and with real world music too.  We really rocked out and connected with those things with everything from Billy Idol to The Weeknd.

Ryan and Pete make a spectacular speaker and I left scheming on where in my home I could legitimately place ANOTHER pair of speakers as I wanted them in house.

[Factorz]

Zoo,
Thanks for the note and I apologize as I had intended to drop you a note letting you know I had them and there great. Thanks for making it simple.

Gopher
Happy you liked them and your "real world music" is spot on. While I appreciate well recorded music I don't think most of my listening habits would be considered reference.

[Vapor Audio]

What a nice thread to find on this beautiful Sunday morning!

It was my pleasure to apply the buffed gloss finish, like I said I thought that veneer would really pop with it ... and it did!  To be honest Chris, the reason I did it for free is because you were so excited on the phone, and you're such a nice guy.  I just wanted to do something nice for you, and your excitement was contagious.  It's an automotive clear, so just keep that in mind regarding long term care - treat it just like you would the paint on your car. 

I'll be back in Milwaukee soon, and when I am I'd be happy to come by your home and help with setup.  First suggestion is to move them as far into the room as you can get away with, the soundstage depth will grow greatly if you do, and become layered inside that depth.  But until then, just enjoy! 

[standub]

As some one who also bought a pair used (saddly mine wasn't as smooth, one woofer was bad) I still confused as too why some would sell these things.    Granted after seeing the Dracho i'm thinking about trading up.

[jtwrace]

What a nice thread to find on this beautiful Sunday morning!

Is that the technical term?      You have all of these names of speakers of storms and such...what about one for just this?   

[Vapor Audio]

Is that the technical term?      You have all of these names of speakers of storms and such...what about one for just this?   

Haha, I like it!  85 and sunny takes on a unique feel of it's own on a Sunday morning. 

[Factorz]

Moving them away from the back wall is not a issue its the side walls I have to be mindful of. The room is only 14' wide so I wasn't sure what was the min distance from the side wall they should be. Right now I have them about 2 feet from the back wall but like I said that can be easily increased.

Let me know dates on when you will be up here and hopefully we can make it work.

[sharpsuxx]

Welcome to the Cirrus owners club, they are definitely my forever speaker!  Until I can afford a Joule at least.

[LateApex]

I admired those at the show too.  Would have loved to hear them.  I bet they sound even better than they look.  Congrats on a great pair of speakers.  Thanks for sharing your photos too.  Enjoy!

[Pete Schumacher]

Welcome to the Cirrus owners club, they are definitely my forever speaker!  Until I can afford a Joule at least.

  Definitely congrats to Factorz.  Above all, glad you're happy with them!

They did sound fantastic with only 18W driving them.  Those Purity amps really cranked out the jams.  I never would have guessed 18W would have been enough with Cirrus.  We usually have much more than that on tap.

Cirrus is a beauty, that's for sure.  I'm really in love with the look of that Cirrus on steroids, Derecho.  Those outriggers and the tilt just look flat out cool.  But Joule is definitely my target sound!

Maybe I'll size up Derecho a little more to fit the 10" Audiotech woofer on there for my personalized Joule build . . . hmmmmm.

[Factorz]

Well it’s been about 2 month’s since receiving my pair of Cirrus and I wanted to give a quick update to how I’m getting on. I have made a few changes to my system including a new DAC and rolled some new tubes into my integrated and Cirrus continues to shine. The only issue I am having now is I’m not discovering any new music because I ‘m spending so much time going back and listening to stuff in my collection to re-experience it with the Cirrus. Ryan continues to be a great supporter and I’m hoping next time he is in my neck of the woods he can spend some time in my room to provide additional feedback on setup.

Below is an updated picture of my room. We just had new carpet put and I’m going to be looking into a comfy chair which is why you see a kitchen chair in the picture. I would welcome any recommendations on a good listening chair.

[stlrman]

Nice lookin room!
http://www.ekornes.com/us

[pconley2]

try the perfect chair (no kidding, that is its name).

I bought mine a number of years ago, and the factory had an outlet store for refurbished ones, at a good, and necessary discount, but it truly works and you have the ability to recline to whatever angle you want.

http://www.humantouch.com/perfect-chairs.html